Dream Catcher
by CheonSongYi
Summary: His dreams are too transient to be caught. But will her presence change that? Modern alternative universe Bleach fic. Eventual ByaRuki. T for now.
1. Start and End

A/n: This may seem ByaHisa, but it is not, because I do not ship them.

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_Chapter 1 : Start and End_

Approximately seven years ago, Byakuya fell in love with Hisana. Their love was beautiful, as it was meant to be. It was undeniably their first.

Both were separated by the distinction of class; he was next in line as the next heir of a notable conglomerate, after the untimely demise of his father, and she, an ordinary seventeen-year-old girl, a nobody, when compared to his grand status.

One would think that they had no means to even meet and interact, but they were brought together on the day when Hisana spilled a coffee on his coat by mistake. It was funny really, how, being the hot-headed youth he was at that time, Byakuya looked up to reprimand the waitress, looked up into her violet orbs and realized that he fell in love at first sight.

Not hesitating even for a moment, he asked her, "Will you… go out with me?" He was about to say something much more extreme, but stopped himself.

The girl kept her eyes trained on the damage she had done, bowed deeply and muttered even more apologies, "… I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I really am. Please don't get me fired. Pleaseplease just-"

Grabbing her hand, he asked again, "Will you go out with me?"

"E-Eh?" Her face had confusion clearly written on it. "Go out? As in go out of the shop?" she asked innocently.

Byakuya wanted to laugh out at her response. What a beautiful and guiltless person she is…

His heart had decided that she was the one with whom he wanted to spend his life. Spring came and their love bloomed. They grew closer as time elapsed, as fall covered the town in brown, and winter in white.

They were together for five years; five years that felt like five eternities to him. That is why his world came to a standstill when she was gone. That is why his time seemed to be frozen somewhere in the past.

Hisana was a dream too beautiful to see; he realised that later.

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_End of one. _

_To be continued._

A/n: Please review!


	2. The Day When

A/n: This takes place six years after the previous chapter.

It will take turn towards the main pairing after I take care of the Hisana business. That will probably be after this chapter or maybe next to next. I don't want to make the story look too rushed.

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_Chapter Two : The Day When_

It is a dull afternoon. Grey clouds hang low and hide the sun from shining out and thunder roars ominously, as if foreboding the coming of a bad omen. A demure party, dressed appropriately in black for the occasion, assembles in front the gravestone of the late Lady of the Kuchiki household.

"_Hisana…"_ the name slips off his tongue in a low whisper; it is as easy as breathing. The sad emotions related to it flood him inadvertently.

He stands there, in front of the last remembrance of his beloved, surrounded by members -_ prying, judgmental, busybodies - _of the Family. They never cared for her well-being when she was alive, and openly caused her mental and emotional abuse.

He holds back a sudden feeling that descends upon him, angry and mournful at the same time, and turns it into a detached expression. A mask that prevents his real self from leaking out, a mask that prevents the world from reading him.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Byakuya manages to look straight, and face the priest chanting a Shinto verse. He does not know at what point in the ceremony they are, just that it is going to get over soon. He is right. Hushed voices and sounds of traditional wood sandals are heard as people move about.

The former head, Kuchiki Ginrei, is meeting the guests and accepting their condolences, nodding slowly. Excusing himself to the side, he approaches Byakuya slowly and addresses him in a grave voice, "Byakuya."

Said person knows that this was not a statement or a simple calling of the name. It was a question, _Are you satisfied?_

Not one to lose at his grandfather's mind games, Byakuya acknowledges him back, "Jii-sama." He has neither the answer nor the patience for that sort of a query. Giving a respectful, he takes his leave.

"I hope that you remember," Ginrei's voice interrupted, "that no more disobedience will be tolerated."

Byakuya grits his teeth, but does not let his irritation show "I remember well."

He moves outside the sacred burial grounds, walks to his car, where the chauffeur has opened the door and steps into it gracefully. "To the office." He instructs.

Using work as an excuse to work frustration off is a bad habit already.

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_End of two _

_To be continued_

A/n: Review if you must. I'll explain more about the timeline and such next chapter.

Thank you isaraaries and PetalMedic for the reviews! You guys made my day.


	3. One More Time

Summary, because I haven't given a proper one yet: Byakuya and Hisana married each other, but she is no more. He is broken by her death and also by the guilt of not fulfilling the promise of finding her sister. In later chapters, we will see what caused that. Rukia, on the other hand has faint recollections of her sister and is leading her life in hiding. Age gap between them is six years.

This takes place exactly one year after the previous chapter, on the same day, Hisana's death anniversary.

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_Chapter Three : One More Time_

The rain never seemed to stop today; it was as heavy as his heart was. It was the day exactly two years after Hisana's demise. Not often did you see the Chairman of Kuchiki Corp. sitting solemnly in a corner of a local eatery. But when you did, it had to be something.

Yoruichi-san sat across him, gulping down alcohol at an extremely fast rate. Like last year, she found him here, trying to drink his sadness off. In this respect, he had to agree that her ability to sniff people out was akin to dog. After a long silence, he said,

_"I do not want to live anymore."_

Following the cowardly but boldly spoken declaration, there was a pregnant pause. The dark woman sitting in front of him looked him in the eye and said in a grave tone,

"You have to, now."

Byakuya actually expected, no, wanted her to react in her usual, cheery and loud manner. He knew that he was giving reality a slip, by running away, gradually giving up on living altogether.

"Why… should I?" he questioned unconsciously, eyes shadowed by his raven, overgrown bangs. Byakuya was never one to drown his worries in such a manner, always one for an if-not-downright-handsome, neat look. However, that day he just did not care. His mind was contemplating other, very serious things. Things like making his suicide attempt look like an accident or jumping in front of a truck.

"You've got someone to live for now," she said.

His eyes widened a fraction and he reckoned her in surprise. As far as he was concerned, that 'someone' he could give his life for was already gone but he asked anyway,

_"Who is it?"_, with more enthusiasm than he wanted to show.

Shihouin Yoruichi's eyes shone with secret glee as she dug out a piece of paper from her bag and passed it over. It seemed like a map, for few smudged pencil marks were present on it.

"This is?"

"I found Rukia."

* * *

It took a minute for him to register the words in his mind fully. Either his bottled up guilt was playing tricks on him, or a trip to the doctor was due.

"You found… _who_ exactly?"

Yoruichi rested her chin atop her palm and leveled her gaze. "Remember the promise? I found that girl."

Byakuya remembered the promise all too well. In fact, there was not a single day he had forgotten about it; he _could not_ have.

"What are you talking about?" he spat out through gritted teeth. "There's no way she would be alive." Anger flashed in his eyes at the atrocity of the statement, of the betrayal this meant.

"Listen here. Go to this address, it's written at the back of the card. I'm sure it's her."

"Shihouin-san, if this is a-" Byakuya began in a decidedly irritated tone. She held up a hand to stop him mid-sentence.

"Just go. Trust me on this." Taking the last swig from her sake cup, she stood up and placed some yen on the bar counter.

"So long, Byakuya-bo, call me if there are any problems, and thanks Oji-san!" she shouted the last part out to the bartender-cum-restaurant owner, who raised a hand in greeting.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot, you gotta invest more in that beauty products company. Just saying." Throwing this last piece of advice and a wink in the direction of a very confused Byakuya, Yoruichi-san moved out of the place, sheltering herself from the rain. Byakuya was angered at the blatant and hurried lie she just told and at the nickname. But he could just stare from the shop window as she flagged down a cab and entered it.

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_End of three_

_To be continued_

A/n: Thank you, isaraaries, for the review and

Jana LC, Unwavering Heart and frossenangel for the follows. New readers as well!

Please review!


	4. On the Way

A/n: Thank you nazarin for the support!

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_Chapter Four : On the Way_

The car proceeded down the road, haltingly, because of the rush hour. Outside, the rain came down in torrents. Byakuya focused his gaze on the drops that beat against his window. He leant towards the fogged glass and stared at them. Yoruichi-san's words were still turning in his head.

_I found Rukia…_

It seemed… _impossible_. Byakuya had been searching for Rukia since the time Hisana told about him, on her deathbed. The inability to do that brought forth a great feeling of helplessness within him, one that he was still coping with.

In him, who was possibly the most expressionless and inexpressive man on earth – even if he accepted that himself –after two years, the mere mention of this girl aroused such emotions of deep contemplation and questioning.

But before he could think of anything else, the car had entered a not-so-posh area of the city. He dug around his pocket for the paper containing the address.

_114, Rukon Complex, _it read.

Committing the information to his memory, he slipped the paper back inside his pocket and instructed the driver to stop the car at the next left turn.

Once outside, the keen eyes of the Kuchiki head took in the features of the underdeveloped surrounding he had been presented with. Shabbily dressed children roamed the streets, shouting and calling out to each other loudly. A little girl took the courage to venture a bit too close to him for comfort, but Byakuya ignored her and moved on.

Finding the compound in which Rukia supposedly lived was not difficult, thanks to the fact that there was only a single narrow road, which he followed. A tatty board declared the name of the place,_ Rukon_. Byakuya looked around to find some trace of _civilized_ civilization, but all he saw was some other kids shouting and playing in a puddle of muddy water. Wanting to sigh, he moved closer to the main building.

Inside, the apartment complex was eerily quiet. There were no elevators, _of course_, but Byakuya found his way quickly to number 114 by taking the only flight of stairs in sight.

As he stood in front of the decaying door of the hundred-and-fourteenth apartment, he felt… what? Was that a hint of anticipation? Fear?

Sure it was. He could be in denial for all he wanted, but Byakuya knew that he did feel a bit of dread – both at her being there, and not.

Without thinking of anything else, he knocked on the door that looked like it would fall apart any moment, and waited.

"Is anyone home?" he called out, and heard his own voice echo two times in the empty corridor. There was no response for a few more minutes but Byakuya thought he heard the shuffling of clothes, so he waited more and tried to curb the odd feeling that he was experiencing.

When five minutes had passed, and there was still no answer, Byakuya was a little more than suspicious. So this really _was_ a prank of the cat-like co-worker of his, he should have known. Though part of it was also his fault for being too curious and gullible. He was about to move out, when the door opened just a creak. His earlier hope returned but the actions that followed put a damper on it. A rough-looking brown envelope was let out of the small gap and then the door shut abruptly.

On a closer inspection, one could find the following words scrawled on its head:

* * *

_This is the manuscript for the final chapter; my job on 'The Guitar' is done. Notes and other clarifications are inside this envelope. Please notify me about the new serialisation by sending a message at the usual place._

_Thank you._

* * *

He stared at the note with utter disbelief. Perhaps for the first time in his life, Kuchiki Byakuya had absolutely no idea what to make of the situation.

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_End of four_

_To be continued_

A/n: Go on, tell me it's bad. However, if by any mischance you did happen to like it, do review.


	5. Cleaning it up

A/n: I'm back!

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_Chapter Five : Clearing it up_

Byakuya stood still for a moment, then knocked on the door, looking it up and down with cautious eyes.

"Hello?" he called out, voice low, for however improbable his sense told him it was, the door looked like it could fall if someone breathed in it's direction, "Is anyone in there?"

He heard some shuffling, and the scraping sound of cheap slippers on bare wood followed, _no tatami, then_. Then a girl's voice answered in polite speech, _Rukia_ voice, perhaps, "Who are you?"

It wasn't anything like Hisana's. His reasons for believing that this was actually _Rukia_ that the address had led him to were fading, and to believe that this was all a prank he was played into by the cat-lady were strengthening. Not to mention that shady manuscript that lay now at his feet, neglected. But he reigned his temper, and forced the rational side of his brain to answer before he could get carried away by sheer annoyance, "Open the door, please,"

The voice gasped, mumbled a name, then retreated back into the house. Byakuya knocked loudly this time. "Open up!"

No sound was made or heard. It was all quiet. Against all his morals and principles, Byakuya put all his weight against the door and shoved, and the thing gave way. And then, he _saw_.

The same violet of Hisana's eyes, shining brightly in the dim room with only a window to let light in. The same face, now scrunched up in an expression of utter revolt; the same hands, now holding a dagger, ready to strike; the same arms, now shielding a small boy.

It was all the _same_, but so different…

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_End of five_

_To be continued_

A/n: This one is short, but the next will be up sooner, so, wait for it!


	6. She who Was

A/n: thank you for the reviews!

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Chapter Six : She who Was

_"What do you want?"_ the girl asked, her voice suspicious, fingers on the dagger trembling. She gripped it again with her left hand, trying to subdue her fear, "Tadashi is here only to play; leave him alone and take _me_ to your boss." It didn't escape his notice that she spoke with a street accent, one that the poorer sections of the society may adopt as they're churned through the push and pulls of the capitalist society.

_Make sure she's happy and healthy, and not subject to misfortune; that is my last request to you, my husband..._ the last words of his late wife echoed in his mind.

"_I—_" Byakuya started, staring at her in amazement disguised as cool interest, his façade. "I have no boss to take you to. I come here of my own volition."

She swallowed thickly, eyes—this same deep, dark eyes—trained on him. He had never seen their colour as brightly as now he was seeing, because Hisana never looked at him the way Rukia was. Even in this dim light, her eyes were full of life, and a wil to fight back for someone else's life, if the need be.

It was then that a realization dawned upon him—Hisana and Rukia were never _the same people_. If he had been looking for Rukia to see Hisana in her, he would never find her. Rukia was now _proving_ that. She was someone _else_, a new life, a new will, very different from Hisana. Byakuya's eyes softened a little at the comprehension.

But no, he wasn't doing this because he _wanted_ to, he did this because of that _promise_.

Ah, it was all coming back to him now. If his wife were alive at this time, how happy she would have been if Rukia were found. His heart felt heavy at the loss, and he lowered his gaze, but steeled his resolve.

"You'll have to—"

"Run, Tadashi!"

The sickly boy who was hiding with her dashed out of the room as commanded, crying and cowering as he went. The short scuffle surprised Byakuya, enough to make him raise an eyebrow; _what was Rukia trying to do?_

"Okay, now do whatever you want." She threw her dagger aside, spreading her arms. In the small room, it made her look bigger than she was, and closer to him than he would prefer, but Byakuya could tell that she was only as tall as Hisana was, and he towered at least two heads above her. "There's no point in shedding more blood or injuring me, is there? I know you're one of his men, so take me to Jaegerjaquez, and—"

"Wait a minute, you are saying unnecessary words and mentioning useless names; stop and listen to what I have to say, _Rukia_."

"How do you—?" She began, her voice loud.

"That's quite enough, Rukia, Byakuya-kun," a soft voice intercepted, and both heads turned the door. Ukitake Jūshirō stepped into the room. "Let's stop your talking right there." He smiled.

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_End of six_

_To be continued_

A/n: lol it may seem like I'm just introducing new characters all the time, but it'll all straighten out in a couple of chapters! I'll strive to update this regularly. i changed Hisana's last words a little bit to suit the premise better.


	7. Many Things Unknown

A/n: I thought of some really good plot points for this, so I'm updating!

Thank you for all the nice reviews on the last chapter :)

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Chapter Seven : Many Things Unknown

"U-ukitake-san? What is th—" Rukia stuttered, completely shocked by the white-haired man's appearance.

"Rukia," He replied, smiling in her direction, "Calm down and listen to me for a moment, okay? First of all, this man you see in front of you," he motioned towards Byakuya, "isn't one of Jaegerjaquez's henchmen. He's… someone else."

Rukia nodded, and lowered her guard the least bit. Then, frowning, she said, "But he knows my name."

"Of course, he would. Because he is your…" Ukitake looked towards Byakuya, his gaze questioning, _is it okay to tell her? Is it okay to finally spill the beans about what you and the Family have been hiding for so long?_

Byakuya faced him, still appearing nonchalant, "I would prefer telling her myself, but as convoluted the situation is becoming, it is imperative that Rukia knows this now;" He turned to Rukia, his expression grave, "I am your brother-in-law, Rukia. I was married to Hisana, your elder sister."

If Rukia was shocked earlier, the look on her face _now_ couldn't be described by words. Her pupils contracted so much that the purple of them looked like an inky black. Byakuya didn't know why he was always studying her so sincerely, but unknowingly, he was, and the fact somehow unsettled him the slightest bit, for unknown reasons. He directed his attention to her hands now, fingers that were quivering at her sides.

Was she scared? Was she angry? Perhaps angry, and if she were to know what luxury the Family had inadvertently denied her by not accepting her into the household at the time of Hisana's marriage, she would be even more so. Rukia had a reason to be seething at the injustice.

Since his childhood, Byakuya was raised to not judge people directly, but given her state of poverty, it wouldn't surprise him if she was vengeful about being refused her share of inheritance and grandeur.

"Are you the reason?" She said, head lowered as though defeated. "Are you the reason my sister abandoned me?"

Byakuya quirked an eyebrow. Rukia surely had talent in making him elicit emotion. "I do not know." His mind took him back to the time six years ago, when she was completing her education and earning money at the same time. "I do not know, Rukia, and I am the wrong person to ask."

Her eyebrows came together in an expression of distress. "I…" Rukia took a deep breath, "I really need to calm down, Ukitake-san."

"Right, it will be good if you rested and thought about this, Rukia. Everything must be a bit too much for you." _Since that time when you were 'handed-over' to us, that is_, Ukitake thought, but didn't say in front of Byakuya.

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_End of seven_

_To be continued_

A/n: Making _Byakuya_ quirk an eyebrow, good going rukia. I'm really gonna work hard to make this more interesting from now on! Until then, tell me what you think in a review :)


	8. That One Bouquet

A/n: Thank you all readers, new and old! :)

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Chapter Eight : That One Bouquet

_Since that time when you were 'handed-over' to us four years ago, that is_, Ukitake thought, but didn't say in front of Byakuya. That was something even _Byakuya_ couldn't know now.

After her marriage to the Kuchiki heir, Hisana had insisted on finding her little sister she had abandoned to find happiness in her own life. She realised that it was a mistake to leave Rukia behind and wanted to fix that now that she had the resources.

Byakuya, being the kind husband he was, promised her that they would find Rukia, and agreed to devote whatever power he could afford to do so. The search grew even more frantic as Hisana fell ill in the third year of her marriage, and Ukitake clearly remembers that day in the hospital, when the couple celebrated their anniversary.

* * *

_"Are these flowers okay?" Byakuya had asked the doctor, showing him the bouquet of handpicked pink azaleas from the garden._

_The doctor seemed to fall into an uneasy silence, and Byakuya got the message._

_"If, for health related reasons, gifts are not allowed in her room, please tell me without hesitation," He laid the flowers on the chair outside the ICU. "Hisana's health comes before my sentiments today."_

_Later that day, Byakuya stood next to her bed, hand clasped in her pale one, Hisana is deep slumber._

_The flowers lay outside, not seen, but meant._

* * *

In regards to finding Rukia, Byakuya thought of it as a request of elder sister to wash past wounds, but his grandfather thought of it as an obligation, an abuse of power on Hisana's part. That is why, even though Ginrei-sama had found Rukia, he kept it a secret from the couple.

In an alienated sense of duty, Ukitake almost felt sorry for the little girl who wasn't at all at fault, and yet bore the burnt of Destiny. Despite the orders, he treated her like the daughter he would never have.

A smile graced his lips.

"W-where do I…"

"Rukia," Ukitake moved forward and touched her back, "Let's get out of this place. You need to think several things through."

"Yes, Ukitake-san."

He stopped and looked towards Byakuya, motioned for him to join them. "Where do you think we are going, Byakuya-kun?"

"Where?"

"Your house."

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_End of eight_

_To be continued_

A/n: I researched on the internet, and pink azaleas mean 'take care of yourself for me' and I think that that's what Byakuya would give to Hisana when she was sick, it's such a sweet meaning :)


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